New Horizons Un-Limited Inc. New Horizons Un-Limited Inc.On August 11, 2009, the disability community lost a great champion of those with intellectual disabilities, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. A longtime advocate for children's health and disability issues, Shriver was a key founder of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and spearheaded the movement towards nationalizing the Special Olympics. To learn more about the life's work of this remarkable woman, visit Eunice Kennedy Shriver: One Woman's Vision online at www.eunicekennedyshriver.org.
On July 24th, President Obama invited a group of 12 representatives of the disability community to meet privately with him and other Administration officials to discuss the future of the disability movement. More specifically, the discussion centered on how the President and the Disability Community can work together toward fulfilling the promise of the ADA: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. Check out the Justice for All Blog for a summary of the meeting.
New Horizons Un-Limited would like to honor Ruby Nellins, who throughout the 104 years of her life gave to her community, her family and anyone in need of a helping hand. She is particularly remembered by her nephew, John and everyone that the two of them encountered. For almost 60 years, Ruby gave John the education, time, patience and love needed to help him succeed through the difficulties presented to him by cerebral palsy.
Ruby helped to give John an education in a time when educational options were few for children with disabilities. As a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools for 23 years until her retirement in 1947, she would devote her summers to teaching John and gave him a typewriter in the 5th grade. She fought to get John enrolled in the Milwaukee School for the Disabled and from which he graduated with a high school diploma. She helped him continue his education at UW-Madison extension and UW-Whitewater. She helped with small tasks every week, would set him up in classes with his typewriter and encouraged his independence. John is now a consumer editor for Opportunities, Inc.
We at New Horizons Un-Limited honor this outstanding caregiver and her dedication to her nephew.
This article is derived from "Oppotunities for gratitude.... Remembering Ruby," written by loving nephew John, - consumer editor, Opportunities, Inc.
"Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." ~Albert Schweitzer
2001-2006 - NHU Congratulates Dotti Krieger on her retirement as Accessibility Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) While serving as Accessibility Coordinator for the Wisconsin DNR from 2001-2006, Dotti Krieger accomplished many accessibility projects for disabled visitors and developed the DNR's efforts to "Open the Outdoors" (a national initiative) and the state parks to all residents of Wisconsin. She worked hard to develop and standardize accessible features in the parks, as well as access to the accessible opportunities and facilities of the parks on the DNR website. Krieger retired in 2006, but her work set a quality standard and continues to inspire accessible projects.
John Hagman, Wisconsin DNR Facilities Management Section Chief, and Julie Amakobe, Wisconsin DNR, Facilities Management Officer said, "The following are just a few of her many accomplishments with the DNR."
"Dotti Krieger served as Disability Advisory Council (DAC) technical advisor from her DNR start date of January 2001 to her retirement in October 2006. One of her many accomplishments while on the DAC included her championing the Special Hunts which allows people with disabilities precluded from hunting using traditional methods because of restriction in mobility, vision, or ambulation to allow participation of Class B permit holders. So in addition to the Class A permit holders (uses wheelchair, 2 canes, or respiratory or heart conditions) and Class C permit holders (visually impaired), now those with temporary ambulatory problems (MS, MD, advanced cancer, etc.) can participate in the special hunts."
"She revived and publicized the Motorized Vehicle for Disabled Hunting on State Lands permit, which allows individuals with disabled hunting permits to access state lands with vehicles for hunting and fishing that otherwise are not open to motor vehicles, and she developed standards for fishing pier and boarding dock design to be used by DNR property managers.""Dotti is responsible for the creation of a tactile bronze topographical map of Rock Island State Park. Those who are vision-impaired are able to learn about Rock Island by touching the map."
Included in her greatest accomplishments is that "Dotti visited and surveyed several of our state properties and assisted property managers to make their sites more accessible in many ways. One property stands out--Harrington Beach State Park. At this location, Dotti was instrumental in planning for the ADA trail to the beach and to an accessible fishing pier and other amenities." Ken Anderson, Wisconsin DNR, Southeast Region Construction Representative said, "The ADA project is not yet completed at Harrington Beach, but this spring, I'll be out with Ranger Andy Krueger surveying, designing, and bidding out the work." They will be completing this Krieger planned trail in 2010.
Dotti co-developed the DNR's "Open the Outdoors" website. This website provides disabled individuals with a user-friendly means of accessing recreation opportunities. The website includes, but is not limited to, locations with accessible canoe campsites, beaches, trails, and cabins; disabled hunting and fishing permits and licenses; boat and shore fishing accessible sites; ADA events and resources, and others. To learn more about this program, visit the DNR website at Open the Outdoors.
Among these accomplishments was extending the program of building accessible cabins for people with disabilities in the state park campgrounds program and formalizing and standardizing the accessible and building design under the DNR's "Cabin in the Woods, initiative.In 2001, the State of Wisconsin DNR's Accessibility Coordinator, Dotti Krieger, approached New Horizons Un-Limited and Miller Engineering Information Technologies Group to assist in standardizing the accessibility concept of the cabin plans. We coordinated a collaboration with the DNR, NHU, MEI, and Strass-Maguire and Associates, architects, to set forth a directive of the accessible design for future Wisconsin state park accessible cabins.
Krieger worked hard to ensure that the accessibility ideas and the plans for these cabins became a standard for the Wisconsin State Parks. In 2004, the next and 5th accessible cabin was built at High Cliff State Park near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin developed from these concept plans. Krieger worked almost single handedly on this fully state funded accessible cabin. Krieger said, "Developing new and updated building plans for the "Cabin in the Woods" project will result not only in the construction of the fifth accessible cabin at High Cliff, but these plans will be valuable for any future "Cabin in the Woods" projects in the state's parks in the years to come." Krieger indeed had the foresight of the future. Krieger and this new cabin inspired the Friends Group of the J.M. Kohler-Terry Andrae State Parks Accessible Cabin and the Kiwanis Club of Westosha-Salem for the Richard Bong State Recreation Area Accessible Cabin. Dotti Krieger encouraged these groups to approach New Horizons Un-Limited, and the design collaboration team for assistance on their respective 6th and 7th cabins for the Wisconsin State Parks. In addition, Dotti initiated contact and arranged a contract with the Green Bay Correctional Facility to make the cabinets for the Kohler Andrae accessible cabin. (Interagency cooperation) "The history of the Cabin in the Woods program is a tribute to the people of Wisconsin," Krieger said. "Each cabin becomes reality only when generous donors step forward with gifts of building funds, building plans and furniture and equipment. When it's all ready, many Wisconsin residents bring their time and talents to the work site and actually put up the structure."
Each cabin features a fully accessible bathroom and kitchen and an accessible sleeping porch. All rooms are large enough to allow for people in wheelchairs to move freely about the cabin, the entrance ramps, doorways, under counter space and the roll-in shower. Furthermore, all fixtures and controls are accessible, including the faucets, toilet, door and cabinet handles and light switches.The existing Wisconsin State Park Accessible Cabins are in great demand every season with no dates left open. The diaries left in each cabin bear testimony to the sincere appreciation that each visitor has in being able to enjoy the outdoors with a camping experience through these cabins and the accompanying accessible paths and piers. "The popularity of the sites is seen not only in their near capacity use each season, but by reading the testimonies left in journals by those who have stayed overnight. Because of the cabins, many people have had a 'vacation of dreams,' and are thankful for the opportunity to be outdoors," Krieger said, recognizing the value of the respite of nature and the opportunity that otherwise would not have been possible for individuals with disabilities and their families. There is no doubt of the remarkable need these cabin projects have filled in providing individuals with disabilities access to the outdoors and the Wisconsin State Parks.
Ken Anderson noting her work, "She championed the accessible cabin idea for the campgrounds in the SE Region of the state. She's encouraged the managers at Kohler Andrae and Richard Bong and I see a cabin in the future at Harrington Beach by the Friends Group. I enjoyed working with her, she is a wonderful person."
Art Miller, Miller Engineering Information Technologies Group, is appreciative of the contribution she has made for the disabled people of our state, "Dotti has touched many lives and has been an inspiration to all of us, both individuals who have used the trails, cabins and fishing piers and those of us who have had the privilege of knowing her and working with her. She has clearly made the world a better place for all of us. As citizens of Wisconsin, we salute Dotti Krieger for her steadfast resolve to make the Wisconsin State Parks accessible for all people, her attention to accessible details, and her vision for projects in which all Wisconsin citizens may participate! Although retired now, Dotti continues to inspire everyone with whom she is acquainted, with her ability to work so passionately and optimistically for that which she believes."
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." ~Nelson Henderson
"Pascal Malassigne is a Professor of Industrial Design at MIAD, an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Medical College of Wisconsin, and a Research Career Scientist at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Professor Malassigné is the recipient of many design awards and patents and is widely recognized for his design research work. For the last twenty years, he has devoted all his non-teaching activities to design assistive and mobility products for individuals with disabilities. He is the author of many articles and papers and has lectured and made presentations on his work nationally and internationally." (From MIAD)
Malassigne encourages his students to design for human needs and focuses on design for people with disabilities. Recently his students worked with physically and cognitively disabled students at Riverside High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to design items to assist these students in everyday life. (From Milwaukee Metro Magazine, "Human Element", by Julie Larrinee)
In 2008, he was professor involved with the Tap the Potential, On Wheels project in which Milwaukee area design students were involved in experiencing living in a wheel chair to assist them in their design objectives. "The goal is for future designers of our environment to spend time experiencing the environment from a different perspective. Students see first hand what it is like to be two feet shorter, with a more limited reach range. They find that things that they are used to not paying attention to such as thresholds become much more obvious. We hope that their experience will impact on future designs of buildings and environmental spaces." "Students are provided with wheelchairs and asked to go through their normal daily routine including going to class, working, going through the college food lines and negotiating their dormitory rooms. They are encouraged to go outside and experience curb cuts, sidewalk slopes and public access into various buildings. Students from the Milwaukee Institute of Art Design, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette and the Milwaukee School of Engineering participated last year." (From Go Milwaukee County). In 2006, DesignIntelligence magazine named Professor Malassigné as one of the Most Admired Industrial Design Educators. He has been involved with the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America's Human Factors & Ergonomics Society and the Industrial Designers Society of America's Design Foundation.
Jeffrey Bigham, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at the University of Washington is in the process of developing a web-based screen reader that can be used to read content from websites while browsing on any computer with a sound card. The new program provides text-to-speech translation as a web-based application without the need to install additional software. Referred to as WebAnywhere, it is designed to work with all browsers and operating systems. Users can try out an Alpha release of the WebAnywhere application, an open source project supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, at webanywhere.cs.washington.edu.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison Biomedical Engineering Doctoral student has recently developed a program that can post on Twitter, a popular social networking website, using only his thoughts. The technology uses a red cap fitted with electrodes that monitor brain activity, hooked up to a computer flashing letters on a screen. The student posted messages by concentrating on the letters he wanted to "type," then focusing on the word "twit" at the bottom of the screen to post the message. This technology can be a lifeline for individuals, whose brains function normally, but are otherwise unable to communicate due to any number of physical disabilities or neurological disorders. While brain-computer interface technology has been in development for many years, using a site such as Twitter can significantly simplify the interaction.
While it may be some time before such technology is made available, it is a step that will someday provide a means of communication for hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities. For more on the breakthrough and to see a video demonstration, visit CNN's article: Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients - www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/22/twitter.locked.in/index.html#cnnSTCText.
A particular social entrepreneur, Dina Abdel Wahab, has started preschools in Egypt for that nation's once neglected children of disabilities. As a new innovative activist she is determined to make a long-term systemic change in a society filled with inequality and inhumanity.
Dina Abdel Wahab's son, Ali, was born with Down Syndrome. In Cairo there were no preschools that would meet his needs or were equipped with special education teachers. She decided if Ali were to have a normal life, she would need to improve preschool education in Egypt. She created The Baby Academy, a chain of preschools for children three months to five years old, based in child-centered philosophy. She brought in people with backgrounds in early childhood education and special education and developed a program to meet the children's developmental needs and to help children achieve their potential. The mission of The Baby Academy is to become a leader in early childhood education throughout Egypt and the Middle East. Dina hopes to achieve this by opening more preschools in Cairo and franchising the idea. Dina Abdel Wahab also now advocates with the Egyptian government for inclusion opportunities for special needs children in Egypt's mainstream education system. For more information, visit the Dina Wahab article on the PBS website or The Baby Academy.
On July 26th, disability activists across the nation celebrated the 19th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). In recognition of this occasion, Hilda Solis, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, committed to improving employment prospects for individuals with disabilities in a letter to the American Association of People with Disabilities. As part of this letter, Ms. Solis acknowledged that "although the federal government strives to be a model employer, in actuality, the number of people with disabilities in the federal workforce has decreased in the past decade." She went on to say, "this trend must be reversed, and it is my commitment that the Department of Labor be a leader in this effort." As part of the Department of Labor's (DOL) effort to hire an additional 3000 workers, the Secretary is challenging DOL managers to actively recruit qualified workers with disabilities.
To learn more about the opportunities available at the Department of Labor, visit USAJOBS online at www.usajobs.opm.gov.
President Obama's nominee to fill the seat of Supreme Court Justice David Souter, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, has a record that is very favorable to individuals with disabilities. Judge Sotomayor, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 8 and therefore considered a person with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has via her court rulings, shown a comprehensice understanding of disability rights and the language and purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Rehabilitation Act, Social Security and more.
ADA Watch's Campaign for Fair Judge's is calling on their organizational partners and colleagues from the disability, mental health, education, civil rights and social justice communities to support Judge Sonia Sotomayor. To read more about the Judge's decisions in regards to disability cases, visit the Preliminary Review of Disability Cases of Judge Sonia Sotomayor prepared by the The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
A newly announced initiative, "The Year of Community Living", will create new initiatives that will address the issue of choice in long-term care. More than $10 million will be made available via Health and Human services to make the right services available in appropriate settings when the individual needs them. To learn more about the HHS initiatives, visit the News Release.
Additionally, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will make $30 million in voucher assistance available to support approximately 4,000 Housing Choice Vouchers for non-elderly disabled families. HUD is making 1,000 of those vouchers available specifically for individuals transitioning out of nursing homes and other institutions. To learn more about these voucher opportunities, contact your local public housing authority (PHA). To find your local PHA visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts.
July 2010 -In Memory of Nick (Nicholas J.) WeidWe are saddened by the loss of one of our very special volunteers, Nick Weid, who passed away July 18, 2010 at age 43 years. Nick was an employee of Miller Engineering who never hesitated to volunteer for us or support our endeavors at New Horizons Un-Limited. He always lent a helping hand to assist with carrying and storing computers for our Computer Grant Program for people with disabilities and supported all our fundraising efforts. Nick loved his children, family, friends, and life. He also had a great love of music, and enjoyed writing songs with his new band, Spider XXX. Our staff and volunteers will remember Nick fondly as he always had a humorous word for everyone and always helped our NHU volunteers feel very welcome. Nick is lovingly remembered by his companion, children, father, sisters, brothers, and further survived by aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, other relatives and many friends. We offer our deepest sympathy to his family and also to his co-workers at Miller Engineering.
Nick's extended family and friends are planning a benefit for Saturday, September 18. The benefit will feature a number of great local bands, vendors, and an auction to help raise money for Nick's family. If you are interested in this event, please contact us.
This past year one of our volunteer interns, Kitti (Katherine) Dotzler passed away July 11, 2009 at 56. Kitti served New Horizons Un-Limited as a student volunteer intern from Milwaukee Area Technical College Web Development Internship Program from October 2004 - June 2005. She assisted us with many of the technical and interactive areas of our website. Kitti was an Alverno College graduate, and worked recently at WPS in Madison. She was particularly devoted to our endeavors with people with disabilities and returned often to volunteer for NHU, hauling and cleaning computers, and assisting with website development. She was a wife, a mother and a dear friend of New Horizons Un-Limited. We miss Kitti, her joyful presence, organization, and dedication to detail.
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